PS3 still number one console for Tekken 6

Every Tekken-loving PlayStation owner must have felt a bit gutted when it was revealed that the Tekken series was also being ported to Xbox 360 this year -- another PlayStation exclusive series to lose its exclusivity.

However, in an exclusive interview with Tekken 6 Project Leader, Katsuhiro Harada, which will be published in full later today, it was nice to hear that Namco still holds PlayStation close to its heart. We spoke to Harada about why the decision was made to port the latest game in the series, and whether he regards PlayStation as the number one console. Based on his answer, it seems as though PlayStation 3 owners can probably expect a superior version of Tekken 6 to that of Xbox 360 owners.

The fact that Tekken 6 was the first arcade game to be released using the PS3-based System 357 arcade board, and bearing in mind the developer’s 10 year history developing for PlayStation, Harada told us that Tekken 6 was specifically designed for Sony's latest home console.

“The game was programmed on PS3 architecture and specifically designed to make full use of the Cell’s SPU. So it’s going to be a big challenge to bring the game to the Xbox 360,” he told PSU.

We can also expect some cool graphical effects that will push the power of the PS3 to deliver intense visuals at 60 frames per second.

“After releasing Tekken 6 in the arcades, we developed an updated version called Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion. When we developed the update, we overhauled the graphic engine and created new shaders. In doing so, we had to make sure we could implement the graphic effects we wanted while still maintaining 60 frames. This is something that is extremely difficult to pull off, and there weren’t many examples in other games. Tailoring the programming to make the most use of the Cell’s SPU allowed us to achieve the results we were aiming for.”

Tekken 6 is due for release in Q4 2009. A precise release date has yet to be announced.